Hans Zimmer

Germany, 1977–now

German film composer who combined synthesizers and digital sound design with orchestral writing. His scores for The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar and Dune made texture-led film music widespread.

MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Hans Zimmer and 0 artists Hans Zimmer influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Hans Zimmer?

• Ennio Morricone — Zimmer has said Morricone's score for 'Once Upon a Time in the West' is what made him want to become a composer — the model of themes built from bold, unconventional textures.
• Vangelis — Vangelis's electronic Blade Runner score — 'completely original, experimental and brilliant' in Zimmer's words — was a direct model for Zimmer's synth-and-orchestra soundscapes.
• Giorgio Moroder — Zimmer came up through synth-pop and shared a house with Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer; Moroder's electronic production shaped Zimmer's early synthesizer-driven scoring.